stuck in the middle...

I've been seeing this argument all week. I'm getting rather sick of it.

The ContextA kid was killed by an alligator at Disney World. The pond he was wading in had a sign saying "no swimming".

The ArgumentThe parents were at fault becausea) It's Florida, alligators are everywhere, and everyone should know this.b) There was a "no swimming" sign, which should have clued them in that alligators were likely to be in the area.

The Rebuttala) I am Australian. I live in a very dangerous region of the world, where we don't put on gumboots without checking for spiders. We expect to find snakes, dingoes, sharks, and crocodiles in most outdoor settings.I would not have expected there to be alligators in this pond.Yes, I'm aware that Florida has alligators, but Queensland has crocodiles, and I still expect hotels to be crocodile-free. Crocodiles can't generally get over fences. Alligators can. I didn't know this.

b) If I see a sign that says "Danger: Crocodiles! No swimming!", I expect there to be crocodiles around, and that I shouldn't go swimming. If I see a sign that simply says "no swimming", sans explanation or exclamation marks, I assume it's roughly equivalent to "keep off the grass" - ie: the maintenance crew are trying to stop you from trashing the area. I certainly wouldn't expect wading to be dangerous.

Yeah, pretty sad. :-( I agree, the resort needs to have proper signage and visitor info, for visitors who don't know about the danger/ likelihood of wild alligators. Out in the open, like that poor lady in Queensland who recently was taken by a croc as she splashed around on the beach, it's more expected, but in a safe fenced-off magical happy land? Not so much. :-(

I can't agree with your generalisation of what we Aussies expect, though- "We expect to find snakes, dingoes, sharks, and crocodiles in most outdoor settings." You make us all sound like Crocodile Dundee wannabes... :-pSnakes, yes, they can show up anywhere, in houses and on land, urban and rural...dingoes, crocs, and sharks, though, only in wild/ bushland/ coastal areas, not in somewhere suburban, or a theme park. Unless it's a wildlife park, of course.

PS- boots at most places I've seen are kept in the laundry, for that exact reason- to stop spidies thinking they're a good hiding place. I'd never leave mine outside... :-/

You just want all your friends to think we wrestle crocs in our spare time, and box with kangaroos in our front yards. ;-)(our roos do loom very threateningly when accidentally disturbed, but luckily are huge but timid, and hop away and suspiciously glare at you until you move away...I'm so glad they're vegetarian.)

Heh, and *I've* never seen boots kept outdoors- always in the laundry, or inside by the front door. I *have* seen other 'spare' shoes left outside (e.g. sandals which you can see into), but the frequently-worn ones, and especially those wherein fun beasties might lurk, have always been safely indoors. Rural vs. city folk, mebbe? :-)

btw, interesting reading all the other comments. I'll admit that as a foreigner I'd never assume to find a dangerous animal in a safe theme park, and yes, would naively expect staff/ general people or giant signs to warn of danger, rather than assuming everyone just 'knows about it'. No mention = all is good. Poor kid. May his parents find some peace. I know I couldn't. :(